Thursday, November 19, 2009

New Policy for Group Study Rooms: Sign Up @ the Reference Desk

Due to high demand for study rooms, a new policy will take effect on Monday, November  23rd. This new policy's purpose is a fairer distribution of study room time among a greater number of users. The new policy entails:

  • - You now must sign up to use the 4 person study rooms.

  • - To sign up, stop at the Reference Desk. You will be asked for ID. If you are a Concordia student, make sure to show your Concordia ID instead of your government-issued ID.

  • - Priority for the rooms will go to Concordia students. Check at the Ref Desk for the next available room.

  • - You can sign up for 2 hours at a time per group.

  • - Minimum group size is 2/Maximum group size is 4.

  • - You can still reserve the rooms in advance; now this can be done at the Reference Desk.


We hope this will encourage people who have given up hope of getting access to a study room to give it another try.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Free Books!

The library has a few shelves of extra books to give away for free. You can find them right through the entrance and a little to your right, on the first shelving unit facing the Pearson Commons.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Look at Our New Trial: AP Images

From the AP Images Website:
"AP Images, a division of The Associated Press, is one of the world's largest collections of historical and contemporary imagery. Browse AP's comprehensive archive with millions of images in entertainment, sports, news, archival and creative content.

AP Images collaborates with content and global image partners, offering immediate access to more than 6 million entertainment, sports, news and lifestyle photographs."

To give it a try, follow this link. Then call or email the CSP Reference Desk for a username and password: (651) 641-8812 | reference@csp.edu

Friday, October 30, 2009

New Trial: Credo Reference

We've arranged for a free trial of Credo Reference, which includes concept maps and an image search in addition to the usual encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, quotations, bilingual dictionaries, and measurement conversions. From their Website:
"Credo Reference is a full-text online reference service. Our collection includes over three million entries from hundreds of well-regarded titles from some of world's the best reference publishers. Credo’s collection is intelligently integrated with millions of cross-references and contains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy, science to Shakespeare and law to literature."

Friday, October 16, 2009

Try Pop Culture Universe

Pop Culture Universe: Icons | Idols | Ideas (PCU) is an authoritative, yet irresistible, digital library of information on American and world popular culture, past and present—in a package as dynamic as the topic it covers.

Built on hundreds of award-winning titles for all levels of researchers, PCU provides a safe haven for investigating topics that appeal to students—without the bias, advertising, suggestive content, or questionable authorship of commercial or fan sites.

This is available for free to Concordia users until mid-November. Let us know what you think. http://ezproxy.csp.edu/login?url=http://pop.greenwood.com/

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Zotero: A Free Tool to Manage Your Research Sources

Zotero is a free add-on for the Firefox Web browser which allows you to manage your research resources. Save citation information and URLs for books, articles, Web pages, images, videos, sound files and other media, all accessible from your Web browser. See for yourself:

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Access e-Book Collections From One Location

The CSP Library's e-Books can now be accessed from one location! Look for the e-Books link on the library's home page under the "Books, Media, & More" section.

Two of Concordia's e-Book resources, Oxford Reference Online and Gale Virtual Reference Library, focus on reference, while the other two focus on regular books like you would check out from the lower level of the library. NetLibrary is our largest collection, and covers a wide array of subjects with current titles. The ACLS Humanities E-Books collection also covers a wide array of subjects, but focuses more on historically significant titles.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Reading the Book of the Year?

If you're reading (or planning on reading) the CSP Book of the Year, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, here are a few things you should know.


-There are 3 copies available on 2-hour reserve at the library.
-As of this writing, there are 5 copies available in CLICnet, one at CSP and 4 requestable from other CLIC libraries.
-The Book of the Year has a Website. Discussion this year is encouraged on the Team of Rivals One-Stop Blog, which is maintained by history and political science professor Dr. David Woodard

Dr. Woodard will be leading Convocation on Wednesday, October 21st, offering a primer in American History. There will be another Convocation on a date yet to be determined in March for a Team of Rivals inspired art show.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Free Literature Resources During Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 was the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico declared independence on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, Alexander Street is offering free access to select full-text, online collections for libraries. Explore poetry, short stories, folk tales, novels, memoirs, non-fiction, and plays in both Spanish and English from Latino writers around the world.

Latino Literature | Caribbean Literature | Latin American Women Writers

Username: eviews
Password: hispanicheritage

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

American History in Video Trial Extended

Our originally short trial for database American History in Video has been extended through October 14th. It no longer requires a username or password for Concordia users. If you are attempting to access it off-campus, you will be asked to authenticate through our EZproxy server. This is the same login info as your main network login.

American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for the study of American history, with 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles on completion. The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and their presentation over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries. This release now provides 1479 titles, including new documentaries from PBS and archival footage, equaling approximately 462 hours.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

TechTalk @ the LTC: Using the New CLICnet Library Catalog

On Monday September 14, @ 4:00 pm in LTC 218 (upstairs from the library), CSP Librarians will be holding their first "Tech Talk" (formerly known as "Brown Bags") of the year, talking about and giving tips on how to use the new CLICnet library catalog. We'll be saying a few words about the catalog's new look, how searching works, navigating and limiting your results, the tagging function, making requests, saving lists, the fate of the old CLICnet, and more. Bring your laptops and come with questions.

Are there any topics you'd like covered in a "TechTalk"? If so, let us know in the comments or email us at reference@csp.edu.

New Style Manuals for MLA and APA

The newest editions (released in August) of the style manuals for both MLA (7th ed.) and APA (6th ed.) are now available On Reserve at the Reference Desk. If you'd like to see one of them, just ask a library staff member. They are filed under LIB001 on the Reserves shelf.

You can also access style and formatting guides on the new editions of the MLA and APA style manuals at the Purdue Online Writing Lab's Website: MLA and APA

Friday, September 4, 2009

Yes, You Can Request Videos From CLICnet

Students and faculty alike can request videos found in the CLICnet catalog. Augsburg and the Bethel Seminary Library are the only CLIC members (besides Concordia) who allow their videos to be requested directly through CLICnet using the "Request It" button. For videos from other libraries, you need to send the request directly through Amity Foster (foster@csp.edu) or by using the Video Request Form found on the CSP Library Website. It takes around 2 days for videos to arrive via the courier service.

Two caveats:

1. Some of the videos owned by Macalester show up in CLICnet with a "Request It" button because of an error in coding their records. This is misleading. If you try to use that button your request will be denied.

2. Not all videos you request will necessarily be lent. AV sharing is full of idiosyncrasies based on licenses and each library's policies. Still, most videos can be lent, so it is worth the small effort needed to send your request to Amity or fill out the Video Request Form.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Lower Level is the Quiet Area

The bottom floor of the library is the designated Quiet Area. Please keep noise to a minimum down there. If someone is being disruptive, please come tell a library staff member.

This doesn't make the rest of the library a designated Loud Area. If you need to have an extended phone conversation (anything longer than 2 minutes), please do so outside the library. Don't be surprised if you are asked to take your conversation elsewhere.

Always use headphones for audio inside the library.

If you are working in groups in the library please do so in the group study rooms. If no study rooms are available, the Pearson Commons is a better place to have a group meeting than the library.

The library is just sort of naturally louder between 10 and 12 every morning because of higher traffic. Be prepared for that, and consider a location downstairs if you need to concentrate during that time frame.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Try the Assignment Calculator! It is Free, Easy-to-Use, and Requires NoRegistration

The University of Minnesota offers a free web application called the Assignment Calculator which helps students schedule their research and writing activities for specific types of assignments over the course of a semester. It breaks your assignment down into steps, each with a deadline. Each step includes helpful tutorials only a click away when you need them. Here's a screenshot of part of an assignment guide:


Library Printing Tips

Here are some common problems and solutions to library printing problems:

-Choose printer Library1 or Library2 from the Print Menu.

-Getting an error message? First, make sure you're connected to the wireless network. Still nothing? Ask us for help!

-You can print on both sides by changing your settings in the Print Menu by choosing Properties, and then under settings for "Duplex", choose either "Long Edge" or "Open to Left".

-There are other ways you can customize your printing, like printing multiple power point slides per page. With Library1 or Library2 selected, look through your printing menu to familiarize yourself with your options.

-If you accidentally print a hundred page document, let someone at the Reference or Circulation Desk know ASAP so we can try to stop the job.

-Each student is credited with 500 printouts at the beginning of each semester. If you try to print something and nothing comes out of the printer, you should check your Printing Balance here: http://concordia.csp.edu/DocumentServices/Copy_Center/index.html. You can pay to have more credit added on at the Copy Center.

Also, please let us know about all paper jams and errors, and when they have run out of paper. We can't keep track of the printers 100% of the time and rely on you to let us know when they need maintenance.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Add the Library Toolbar for Easy Access to Research Resources

Before the school year gets up to full speed, download the CSP Library Toolbar add-on for your Web browser which will put CSP Library Resources at your fingertips. Here's how it looks in miniature:




The toolbar provides easy access to searching the CLICnet library catalog, CSP's subscription databases, eBook resources, the QuickSearch (BearHunt) search tool, and the Journal Finder/Article Linker tool. There are also links to often used pages such as research guides and database subject lists. Download it here.

Will work with Firefox and Internet Explorer for PC users, with Firefox and Safari for Mac users.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Library Hours for Academic Year Start Friday 08/28

Library Hours for the academic year start Friday, August 28th at 7:45 AM. During weeks when there are no holidays or breaks, the schedule is as follows:


Monday - Thursday: 7:45 a.m. - 11:00 p.m
Friday: 7:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m


The Reference Desk schedule during normal weeks is as follows:


Monday - Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.






See the schedule for the entire academic year at http://concordia.csp.edu/Library/about/hours.html

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Short Trial Available for American History in Video

There is currently a short trial active for the database American History in Video.

American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for the study of American history, with 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles on completion. The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and their presentation over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries. This release now provides 1479 titles, including new documentaries from PBS and archival footage, equaling approximately 462 hours.


Contact the Reference Desk for login info at (651) 641-8812

Thursday, August 6, 2009

CSP Library Summer Reading Lists

Here's a list of books recommended by the Concordia librarians which they've read this summer. Happy reading!


Jeanine Gatzke - Cataloging, Acquisitions, & Technical Services Librarian




If I am Missing or Dead: A Sister’s Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation by Janine Latus

if i am missingA memoir that reads more like a novel, I had a hard time putting this book down. It is the story of two sisters, Janine and Amy Latus, who to the outside world both seem to be strong and successful women, but whom each end up in one disastrous, abusive relationship after another, beginning with their father. Moments of humor and insight alternate with descriptions of abuse and victimization that will both break your heart and make you wonder how this can happen.


Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

water for elephantsI loved the perspective of the story being told by the 90-something year old Jacob, trapped in a nursing home and remembering his induction into the world of the travelling circus instead of the life he had planned in joining his father in veterinary practice upon graduation. I did not see the end coming…
 
 
 


The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

the historianA vampire story unlike any I’ve read before (admission: I have never really considered myself a fan of vampire books. That may be changing though…). Spanning a search over three generations, multiple historians are – for different reasons – looking for the “real” Dracula. Makes you wonder if it really could happen…
 
 


Tamara Buetow - Reference & Curriculum Librarian




In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien

in the lake of the woodsThis book is well written with excerpts and quotes from the My Lai courts-martial from the Vietnam War by William Calley and other famous people as well as others who know main character John Wade. O'Brien weaves together the story of the Vietnam village massacre, and deals with post-traumatic stress and psychological secrets of a hidden past, which cause people to act in mysterious ways. It would be a fascinating read for people intrigued by mysteries of missing persons or unsolved cold cases.


The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine

the blue notebookWritten by a doctor/professor from the Mayo Clinic who had gone to India and was haunted by a child prostitute outside her cubicle writing in a notebook, this novel is based on a true story and was written it in a very short period of time -- 68 hours. All proceeds from the book go to the International Organization Against Child prostitution. It could be a companion book for Slumdogg Millionaire...
 
 


Greg Argo - Reference, Cataloging, & Electronic Resources Librarian




It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American Music by Amanda Petrusich

it still movesTo research this book, Amanda Petrusich got into her car and drove south from Brooklyn, in search of the meaning of the musics that have collectively come to be known as Americana. Driving through Memphis, Clarksdale, Nashville, and other points in between, she traces the roots of blues, folk, rock, and country through the American South, tells the stories of the major innovators and players, and looks at the present to try to see where Americana is headed. Using the road as a metaphor, and mixing travelogue with a history lesson and personal quest, she draws the broad contours of the idea of Americana, finding the similar threads connecting “Old Weird America” heroes like Leadbelly and the Carter Family with popularizers like Elvis and Chet Atkins with more recent acts like Uncle Tupelo, Iron & Wine, and the freak folk musicians now being touted as the “New Weird America”.


The Crystal World by J.G. Ballard

the crystal worldAfter reading a story by J.G. Ballard called “The Cloud-Sculptors of Coral D” in which a few fellows sculpted art into clouds by flying in gliders which emitted chemicals, I found this novel, also by Ballard, titled The Crystal World. It follows Dr. Sanders, a specialist in leprosy, as he chases a professional and personal thread from his recent past into the jungle of Gabon in Africa. The curious thing is that this part of Africa is crystallizing into a landscape of jewels and gems. As the physical landscape transforms, so do the characters’ psyches and their interpretations of survival and salvation. This is an offbeat book loaded with symbolism and breathtaking descriptions of a future world which may be horrifying, transcendent, or both, depending on how you react.


What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

what we talk about when we talk about loveThis short story collection was originally published in 1981. Carver writes with extreme brevity, and one could read most of these stories in fewer than five minutes. His characters inhabit a barren and desolate American landscape, where the characters seem beat down by bad decisions, broken relationships, and dead-end jobs. Despite leading emotionally shell-shocked existences, the characters continue to care for each other, communicate directly (if laconically), and are still intrigued by the possibilities of interacting with other humans. Amid alcoholism, transience, and betrayal, the persistence of the human spirit to treat others with dignity is the silver lining in these cloudy skies. Though not a typical summer read, these jarring stories provide perspective that is valuable in any season.


Geruth Buetow - Reference & Interlibrary Loan Librarian




Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

black juiceThis is a collection of unusual short stories. In one, an African family sings their sister/daughter to death as she sinks into the tar. They are subtly defiant of her death sentence for murder, as they give her love and solace until the end. In another, a noble woman leaves her castle, and its privileges and loveliness, to go dance with the gypsies. Her husband follows and is mad, but joins her in a dance at the end. Great!
 


Rush Home Road: A Novel by Lori Lansens

rush home roadAddy Shadd tells her life story. She lives in a Canadian town settled by runaway slaves from the Underground Railroad in the 1800’s. Written in the 1st person, events comingle between the present and past. This story tells of a strong, strong woman who remains healthy in her mind and has a gentle and forgiving nature even with losing so many people she loved in her long life. Lovely book and a wonderful character.
 



The Love of Impermanent Things: A Threshold Ecology by Mary Rose O'Reilly

the love of impermanent thingsMemoir of Mary Rose O’Reilley, a woman with a Quaker and Zen Buddhist religious background. I really liked the way she brought her individual thoughts about religion to the forefront of her consciousness; her life experiences resonated with my own life experiences and I found I wanted to have her words around me all the time. The ideas and experiences in the book were sad, lovely, graceful and a satisfying read.
 


Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

woman at point zeroA haunting story set in Egypt about a woman named Findaus. She tells her story to a reporter just hours before she is hung. Her story is the story of many women who are abused physically and culturally, not only by individual men, but also by the laws and norms of society. A powerful statement about the place of women in many places.
 
 


Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers by Amy Stewart

flower confidentialThis is a very interesting book about the flower trade. Three areas are discussed: the breeding, growing, and selling of flowers. I was very intrigued by the fascinating facts and history. For instance, at one time in Europe tulips were worth more than gold, and were imported from Persia as exotic items. Other important facts about the flower industry were shown which have implications regarding poorly paid workers in 3rd world countries, pollution, carbon footprint value, and other current issues which are important for making socially informed decisions. I also enjoyed this book because I love gardening.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Now Offering Chat Reference Service

The Library is happy to announce that we are now offering chat reference service via a link on our homepage. It will be available during normal reference desk hours.

During the summer, chat will be available:
Monday-Thursday: 9-6
Friday: 9-3
Weekends: Closed

During the school year, chat will be available:
Monday-Thursday: 10-8
Friday: 10-5
Saturday: 12-5
Sunday: 4-8

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

New Resource: Minnesota Video Vault

From the Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) website:

"The MN Video Vault is a new, web-based, on-demand video service that contains hundreds of hours of TPT shows, from documentaries to performances."


Search the site by keyword, or browse videos by Program Title, Interest Area, or the Educator's area where you can select videos by subject and grade levels.

Visit at: http://www.mnvideovault.org/

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Library Unveils New Home Page

Committed to presenting a simple, easy-to-use website, we have redesigned our main web page, http://concordia.csp.edu/library, to provide a more lively, immersive experience. Goals for the new design included opening new avenues of communication with students and faculty, a cleaner look and feel, and the promotion of some of our lesser known services and resources.

New features include:



  • -The Featured Service area which highlights different resources and services available at the library

  • -More prominent display and use of the Library blog, fed through the column on the right-hand side of the page

  • -The Connect Online area where users can interact with the library via Twitter, Facebook, RSS Feeds, and (coming in mid-July during normal reference hours) Chat.


  • -More prominent display of useful tools like eFolio and the Assignment Calculator

  • -Linkage to related services: Writing Center, WebCT, and the Help Desk





We hope you find the new design helpful and easy to use! Send feedback about the site to argo@csp.edu.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Library introduces the new CLICnet catalog!

When you click on the CLICnet Library Catalog link on the library’s homepage, you will be greeted with a different CLICnet catalog than you’re accustomed to seeing. With CLIC’s purchase and implementation of the Encore Discovery Layer, the library catalog is now accessed via a single search box. The new design and functionality allow for a broader perspective on what’s available, and offer the ability to refine results by facets (such as format, location, publication date) and user generated tag clouds. Relevancy ranking displays the most fitting results to the top, and if Concordia owns materials matching the search results, our holdings will always display first in a list. “My Account” services like requesting from other CLIC schools and online renewals are still available, just as before. Navigation now operates on one main page instead of requiring you to click back and forth through results and individual records.

If you are a fan of the previous CLICnet interface, or need to do an advanced search, you’re in luck. Simply click on the Classic Catalog link located above the right side of the new search box and you will be delivered to the previous interface, which is still functional for requests, renewals, and is currently the only place to access the Course Reserves search interface.

If you have questions or would like a personal demonstration, connect with us at the Reference Desk at (651)641-8812 or reference@csp.edu.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Library Hosts Book Club

Do you love to read and talk about books? Have you been thinking about joining a book club, but haven’t found an opportunity that works for you? Would you like to get to know co-workers outside of your department? If the answer is yes, then you’re in luck!

The CSP Library will be hosting a “for fun” book club open to Faculty and Staff. Day and time to meet will be determined by what best fits the schedule for the majority of attendees. Atonement by Ian McEwan has been chosen as the initial book, but subsequent titles will be picked by the group members.

If you’re interested in participating, please contact Greg Argo (argo@csp.edu) or Jeanine Gatzke (gatzke@csp.edu) by January 30th. We’re shooting to have the first meeting near the end of February. And happy reading!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Your Library Record and the CLICnet Catalog will be Unavailable on Tuesday, January 13th

Please expect an entire day of downtime to the library system and CLICnet library catalog on January 13th while a hardware migration is in progress. This means:


-Holds can't be removed for late or lost books because fines will not be able to be accessed or collected; therefore, if you have a library hold on your record on January 13th, you will not be able to register on January 13th.


-You will not be able to search for materials and make requests via the CLICnet catalog.


-You will not be able to place ILL requests.


-No overdue or courtesy notices will be sent out on the 13th; they will be sent out on the 14th instead.


-You will not be able to renew materials.


-You will still be able to check out books from the Concordia library with your Concordia ID.


-Library Databases will still be available.


Thanks for your patience and understanding while CLICnet is upgraded to new servers.